General Information
| Course Code | S_ICS |
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| Credits | 6 EC |
| Period | P1 |
| Course Level | 100 |
| Language of Tuition | Dutch / English |
| Faculty | Fac. of Social Sciences and Humanities |
| Course Coordinator | dr. G. Ranzini |
| Examiner | dr. G. Ranzini |
| Teaching Staff |
dr. G. Ranzini dr. M.A. Tanis |
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Part of programme(s)
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Practical Information
You need to register for this course yourself. The (de)registration deadlines can be found on VU.nl
| Teaching Methods | Study Group*, Written partial exam, Lecture |
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*You cannot select a group yourself for this teaching method, you will be placed in a group.
Target audiences
This course is also available as:
Course Objective
Upon completion of this course, the student can:
- identify the positioning of communication science among other academic disciplines;
- explain the different approaches, sub-fields and types of theories in communication science;
- explain classical theories in communication science, including primary concepts and working mechanisms;
- identify the type of research that is used to study communication processes;
- evaluate the quality of communication theories and think in theoretical terms;
- evaluate different perspectives on gathering knowledge and their implications for social scientific research;
- apply communication theories to explain real-world phenomena.
Course Content
The course Introduction to communication science is specifically designed for students who have no background in communication science. The course offers students a broad introduction to communication science by introducing a wide variety of theories that can be perceived as “the classics”, and by providing students with an integrative perspective on the field. After completion, students should understand the theories, know the research that supports it, see useful applications in society and in their personal lives, and be aware of the theory’s possible flaws and limitations.
Additional Information Teaching Methods
The course is offered as a mix of self-study (book chapters and video’s), group seminars, individual tests, and exams.
Method of Assessment
Five weekly tests (to be completed individually), and a final exam.
Literature
Griffin, E. A., Ledbetter, A., & Sparks, G. G. (2022). A First Look at Communication Theory (Eleventh Edition). McGraw-Hill Education
Additional Information Target Audience
1st year bachelor students communication science, minor/exchange students. This course is also available as an elective course for VU and non-VU students.
Additional Information
The language of instruction for this course is “bilingual”, which means that the lectures are held in English but the working groups are offered separately in English or Dutch. If you are following the English-language program, please sign up (if registration is possible) for the English-language working groups.
Custom Course Registration
In this course, you cannot enroll for one of the study groups yourself, but you will be assigned by the course coordinator. The allocation will be announced via Canvas. Please note: You do have to register for the course and the other course components on VU.nl.